Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. But I will one day.

Chapter 19: Sweet Baby of Mine Part III

Makoto left the hut, letting the reed door cover fall behind him, and headed for the only place he could think of: Goshinboku. He jumped into one of the lower branches, lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head, and sighed. He could already feel the magic of that old tree trying to comfort him, like always, and it helped a bit; but this…this wasn't going to be going away anytime soon.

It wasn't just the thought of his baby sister being dead…it was also his Oyaji and Okaa. His Okaa…who always helped anyone who came to her, who worked for the villagers all day everyday until InuYasha would drag her home, his Okaa… didn't deserve this. No woman as gentle and kind as Kagome should have to burry a child.

Then there was his Oyaji. Overbearing, egotistical, stubborn; loving, caring, protective InuYasha. He always managed to keep most of his emotions as still as stone. That cry…that despairing, howling cry…it was still ringing in Makoto's ears. Makoto had no doubt that everyone in the room felt at least some of InuYasha's pain by just hearing that howl. That's why he ran. That's why Makoto just couldn't take being anywhere near the hut right now. His parents' hearts were breaking, and he couldn't bear it.

Makoto also knew that there was Shippou, and the other pup to worry about. He had run off on them, too. Shippou had lost his real parents when he was still small. Losing another family member had to be hard on him. And he just left them all behind, shoving everyone else away when he probably needed them, too. He let out another heavy sigh.

"Makoto?" Kita's voice was gentle and soft. She stood under the tree looking up; her fingers fiddling with the helm of her kimono. Makoto didn't answer, but his ears swiveled around toward her. "I-I'm sorry, Makoto. I'm sorry for what happened." She turned around, her eyes falling to the ground. "I just wish…there was something I could do." There was a swift breeze and the rustling of leaves, then Kita felt Makoto's presence behind her.

"There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do, and that's the whole problem! It's completely HOPELESS!"

"No, it's not." Kita turned to face him, still talking in a gentle, soothing voice. "Nothing is ever hopeless, Makoto. The only reason I'm alive…the only reason I didn't kill myself under that youkai's control, was because I still had hope. I had hope that one day, things would get better. I knew nothing about my past would change. I knew there would be things I've done that I'll have to reconcile for, if it was my fault or not. It hurts, I know, to feel useless, especially in a situation like this; but never say it's hopeless."

"Kita…" without warning, Makoto flung his arms around her and held her tight. A few tears he couldn't hold back any longer wet his cheeks. He stood there for what seemed like hours, just holding her. Kita had no intention of letting him go anytime soon. It was just as much of a comfort to her as it was to Makoto.

Kita's ears perked up. "Makoto…do you sense that?"

Makoto pulled back and nodded. "It's Okaa-san's barrier. But she's not supposed to be using her powers, and why would she put up a barrier?"

"I think we need to get back."

"Yea."

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Kagome watched the proceedings in the small room of the hut. InuYasha, still with the girl-pup in his hands, crying out loud. Sango and Miroku… Shippou and Tani and their unborn kit… Makoto storming out the door with Kita following not too far behind. Her head was swimming, taking in too much all at once. She looked to the little boy in her arms. His eyebrows were furrowed and his little hands in tight fists. He was sleeping, but uneasily. Being so young, could he still sense the absence of his sister? Was he, somehow, also afraid of what was to come? It wasn't fair. None of it. Her baby… her pup…dead? There had to be more that someone could do. Kagome set the now sleeping baby boy into the prepared basket beside her. "InuYasha… I want to hold her, please?"

InuYasha let out a heavy sigh, and with downcast eyes sat beside Kagome and gave her the pup.

"Oyaji…there has to be something we can do! Take her to Sesshomaru, he can save her!" Shippou cried out. For a moment the gloom seemed to lighten, until InuYasha's words rang true.

"Baka…don't you think I've already thought of that! There's no time, by the time it would take to get there her soul would already be taken."

Kagome turned her attention from the others around her to the girl in her arms. Silver. Her hair was nearly pure silver, with the exception of a black streak on her left ear. The boy was the opposite, completely black hair with a single silver streak on his right ear. She looked so much like InuYasha. She ran her fingers through the pup's soft hair. Then, she sensed something, coming from the pup in her arms. Kagome knew she wasn't supposed to use her miko powers, but maybe if she just tapped into them a bit…

She allowed herself to sense the auras around her, ignoring the blues, reds, and purples of her friends and family; stopping a moment to admire the pure-white aura only a newborn could have. Then she turned her attention back to the girl-pup. Her aura was a hazy gray, quickly darkening to the black of death. How could something so pure, so innocent, appear like this in their aura, their life-energy?

It hit her, and it hit her hard; a way to save her pup. Her aura, and the pup's aura, a transfusion of some sort. Kagome was already so weak, though; from carrying and giving birth to the pups. Her own aura had a dull glow, and she was so tired. But this was her pup. She was so small, so beautiful. She deserved a chance to live. A moment more and Kagome's mind was made up. No matter what it did to her, she was going to save her pup. Kagome looked up at InuYasha and smiled sadly. He would have something to say about it. He'd be able to sense it as soon as Kagome started using her miko powers. A barrier. It was all she could do to keep him away long enough.

InuYasha felt Kagome's eyes upon him and turned, locking her gaze with his. His eyes widened as he realized what his mate was about to try to do. He shook his head. "Kagome… don't…"

"I have to, InuYasha."

InuYasha leaped across the hut only to land face-first into a barrier. The blow knocked him onto his back, and could only mutter curses to himself. He quickly thought through his options. He couldn't use the red Tetsusaiga, he'd hurt Kagome in the process. Kagome was distraught; she'd do anything for anyone. She'd kill herself trying to save her own pup. InuYasha would gladly give his own life if her knew it would save the pup, but it was too late. The pup was gone, and Kagome was harming herself more than she was helping the pup. How could he stop her!

"Kagome, don't you dare!" But Kagome had already started filtering some of her energy into the pup. She closed her eyes, unable to watch as InuYasha threw himself against the barrier over and over. She tuned out the sounds around her, listening to the rhythm of her own heart. She had a good grasp on her energy now, pulling it out of her own body and steering into the pup. "Kagome drop this barrier right now!"

"Kagome! You're using too much of your spiritual energy! You'll kill yourself!" Miroku let go of Sango and stood by the barrier.

"Can you break it?" InuYasha asked through gritted teeth.

"No. Kagome's spiritual energy is far too strong for me, even in this state. She'll have to stop the barrier on her own."

"She'll die if she keeps using her energy like that!"

"I know, InuYasha, but there's nothing we can do!"

"Okaa-san, don't do this!" Shippou stepped up right in front of the barrier. "Please, just drop the barrier, Okaa-san."

Just a bit more… Kagome coaxed herself. Thankfully, the pup's aura was accepting her energy without hindrance. She could already tell a great difference in the pup's aura. It went from a dull gray and was already on its way to a brilliant silvery-white. Kagome could fell life starting back up, the pup's aura starting to create its own energy. She would have smiled if she wasn't still so focused.

The boy-pup wailed in his basket, all the yelling having woken him. InuYasha quickly picked him up in his arms to settle him. Both the hanyous' ears were flat on their heads. InuYasha and the others could only look on as Kagome started to become very pale, and her barrier started to falter, occasionally flickering. It was impossible to tell what exactly was going on, but everyone had a good idea.

When the barrier around mother and child finally gave way, InuYasha handed the pup to Shippou and rushed to Kagome's side. "Kagome? Kagome!" He pulled her head into his lap, his hand on her forehead telling him how cold she had grown. She was so cold, and her body was completely limp. "Kagome, don't do this to me. Come on, open your eyes! Don't you dare die on me, DON'T YOU DARE!"

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up and smiled. "I…won't. Tired… take the…pup." With that her eyes closed again, falling into unconsciousness.

"K-kagome…" InuYasha laid Kagome's head back on the futon, carefully maneuvering her off his lap, then turned his attention to the pup. Kagome…why did you do this? Why did you risk your life? Our pup…is gone. There's no bringing her back. He sighed, moving the back of his hand across the pup's warm cheek. It was…warm! "What the…?" He picked up the pup and focused all his senses on her. Something was defiantly different about her. She smelled like a pup, no longer reeking of death. Then suddenly, there was a new sound. The pup's heart,…'tha thump, tha thump'. It was weak, but it had started beating!

InuYasha ignored the questioning glances around him. He felt a twitch, the pup's foot kicked. Then her eyelids fluttered, just slightly, hardly enough for the hanyou to see. The next thing to come surprised everyone in the room; a small gasp followed by an ear-shattering cry coming from the bundle in InuYasha's arms.

"Sh-she's okay!" his voice was filled with relief as he sat beside Kagome. "She's alive!" The others quickly gathered around InuYasha to see, sure enough, that the pup was alive, and was no longer short on breath. Sango took a moment to look over the girl, and could find nothing visibly wrong with her. It was as if she were never gone, just waking from a deep sleep.

Miroku wasn't all that cheery just yet. He alone knew the severity of the situation Kagome had put herself in, knowing more about spiritual energy then anyone else in the room. He knelt beside Kagome with a solemn look across his face. She was cold to the touch, a deadly cold that sent shivers down the ex-monk's spine. She had used too much of her own energy on the pup, while it seemed that the pup was now very much alive and well, Kagome was slowly fading away. She had to be kept warm. Though he could do nothing about her spiritual self, they would at least take care of her physical body.

"Sango, bring extra blankets."

"Miroku?" Sango's face was still stained with tears, her eyes shinning with more tears threatening to fall.

"Extra blankets, Sango, and a basin of water. Shippou, go find Makoto and Kita. They'll need to be here as well. I'm afraid it's going to be a long night here for all of us." InuYasha and Miroku's eyes locked for a few seconds before InuYasha went back to tending to the girl-pup. Miroku will never forget the look of sadness and longing in his friend's gaze.

InuYasha didn't know what to think, or do. He wanted to break down. He wanted to lie down next to Kagome and not get up, and his pups were the only think keeping him from doing so. He was glad Miroku had taken hold of the situation and was keeping everyone else busy with things that needed to be done. InuYasha didn't think he would have been able to lead the others as he usually did. He looked down at the pup. She was still crying, her face turning red. She didn't understand what was going on, and for good reasons.

"Here, Oyaji," Shippou said, giving InuYasha the boy-pup under his other arm. "I'll find Makoto and be back soon." He started to leave, but turned around to add; "And don't worry about Okaa-san. She'll pull though. She always does."

InuYasha merely nodded as Shippou left the hut. He looked from one pup to the other. Things were going to be hard for all of them with Kagome in the condition she was in, but it would be harder for the pups. Pups needed their mother constantly for the first month or two, never leaving their side for more than a few minutes at a time. These pups weren't going to have their mother for a while, if ever. He didn't want to think about it, but InuYasha really didn't have a choice. What was he going to do if he did lose Kagome? Taking care of two pups on his own?

Around that time Sango entered with the blankets. She covered Kagome with one, gave one to InuYasha, and laid the other beside him. "They'll be hungry soon." She stated, gesturing to the pups.

"I don't think Kagome can feed them."

"No, she can't. I'll go ask around the village, but I think goat's milk is the best we can do for them right now."

InuYasha sighed and nodded. If that was the best they could do, then there was nothing more to be said.

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Makoto rushed back to the village with Kita followed not too far behind him. They had both felt the sudden energy surge that Makoto recognized as Kagome's barrier, but then he felt something different. Like her very being was leaving her. He couldn't travel fast enough to satisfy his fears. Not to long later he came to a sudden stop, as did Kita behind him, and he stared into the direction of the hut.

"She dropped her barrier."

"No," Makoto responded, "she didn't drop the barrier. Her barrier failed." Reality seemed to sink into the inu-hanyou all at once. Number one, Kagome raised a barrier, meaning she wanted to keep something out. Number two, her barrier just failed, meaning she couldn't hold it anymore. And number three; he couldn't sense her presence anymore. Her energy was depleted.

"What do you mean it failed?"

"Just what I said, Kita!" he snapped. "Her barrier failed, I can't sense her!"

Kita placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's just get there and find out what's going on, okay?"

"Oi! Makoto!"

"Shippou? What is going on!"

"Okaa-san used her powers to transfer her energy to the pup. The pup's fine now, but Okaa's very weak."

"Wha…?"

Shippou grabbed Makoto's sleeve and pulled him. "I'll tell you on the way, now move it!"

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Makoto, Kita, and Shippou entered the hut as quietly as they could. InuYasha was holding the sleeping pups in his arms but his eyes were fixed on Kagome who lied beside him. Tani immediately ran and jumped into Shippou's arms. Makoto swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He had never seen his Okaa looking so sickly. Her face was pale, and she didn't move an inch. If he didn't have his hanyou senses he would have sworn that she was already dead. He shouldn't have run out on her. He shouldn't have left her alone like he had, it just wasn't right.

"Oyaji?"

InuYasha looked away from Kagome and fixed his gaze on Makoto. "Hmm?"

"Is she…" he sighed. "Is Okaa-san going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine, Makoto. She always pulls through."

A/N:

Been trying to get this chappie to you, but FFnet wouldn't let me. TT

And yesh…more angst to add to the pile. But at least the pup is okay, right?

:cowers behind desk: …right?

I've been neglecting my Reviewer points as well. :sweatdrop:

I'll get them up when I get time.

www dot freewebs dot com / kachiki (underscore) tsucasa

review points, fan art, links, yadda yadda and check out the new FORUM, just click on the link. I'll post updates there so you'll have a good idea when the next chapters are coming out.